Acting
Wayne Morris
EN, FR cinema · 69 credits
Born
17 February 1914
Died
14 September 1959 (aged 45)
Birthplace
Los Angeles, California, USA
Also known as Bert DeWayne Morris · Bert DeWayne Morris Jr.
Wayne Morris (February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959), born Bert DeWayne Morris in Los Angeles, was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many notable films, including Paths of Glory (1957), The Bushwackers (1952) and the title role of Kid Galahad in 1937. While filming Flight Angels (1940), Morris became interested in flying and became a pilot. With war in the wind, he joined the Naval Reserve and became a Navy flier in 1942, leaving his film career behind for the duration of the war. Flying the F6F Hellcat off the aircraft carrier USS Essex, Morris shot down seven Japanese planes and contributed to the sinking of five ships. He was awarded four Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals. Morris was considered by the Navy as physically 'too big' to fly fighters. After being turned down several times as a fighter pilot, he went to his brother in law, Cdr. David McCampbell, imploring him for the chance to fly fighters. Cdr. McCampbell said "Give me a letter." He flew with the VF-15, the famed "McCampbell Heroes." He married Patricia O'Rourke, an Olympic swimmer, and sister to B-movie actress Peggy Stewart. Following the war, Morris returned to films, but his nearly four-year absence had cost him his burgeoning stardom. He continued to act in movies, but the pictures, for the most part, sank in quality. Losing his boyish looks but not demeanor, Morris spent most of the fifties in low-budget westerns. He made an unusual career move in 1957, making his Broadway debut as a washed-up boxing champ in William Saroyan's The Cave Dwellers. He also appeared as a weakling in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957). Morris suffered a massive heart attack while visiting aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard in San Francisco Bay and was pronounced dead after being transported to Oakland Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. He was 45. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Description above from the Wikipedia article Wayne Morris (American actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known for
Filmography
Buffalo Gun
as Roche
Paths of Glory
as Lt. Roget/Singing man
Plunder Road
as Commando Munson
The Crooked Sky
as Mike Conlin
The Gelignite Gang
as Jimmy Baxter
Lord of the Jungle
as Jeff Wood
The Lonesome Trail
as Dandy Dayton
Cross Channel
as Tex Parker
The Green Buddha
as Gary Holden
Riding Shotgun
as Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
Two Guns and a Badge
as Deputy Jim Blake
The Master Plan
as Major Thomas Brent
The Desperado
as Sam Garrett
Port of Hell
as Stanley Povich
Fighting Lawman
as Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
Texas Bad Man
as Walt
The Marksman
as Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
Star of Texas
as Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
Arctic Flight
as Mike Wien
Desert Pursuit
as Ford Smith
The Big Gusher
as Kenny Blake
Yellow Fin
as Mike Donovan
The Bushwhackers
as Marshal John Harding
Johnny One-Eye
as Dane Cory
Stage to Tucson
as Barney Broderick
Sierra Passage
as Johnny Yorke, Associate Producer
The Tougher They Come
as Bill Shaw
The House Across the Street
as Dave Joslin
Task Force
as McKinney
The Younger Brothers
as Cole Younger
A Kiss in the Dark
as Bruce Arnold
John Loves Mary
as Lt. Victor O'Leary
The Big Punch
as Chris Thorgenson
Deep Valley
as Jeff Barker
The Voice of the Turtle
as Comm. Ned Burling
So You Want to Be in Pictures
1947
So You Want to Be in Pictures
as Self (uncredited)
Blow-Ups of 1947
as Self
The Smiling Ghost
as Alexander "Lucky" Downing
I Wanted Wings
as Tom Cassidy
Bad Men of Missouri
as Bob Younger
Three Sons o' Guns
as Charley Patterson
Double Alibi
as Stephen Wayne
Flight Angels
as Artie Dixon
Gambling on the High Seas
as Jim Carter
Ladies Must Live
as Corey Lake
Brother Rat and a Baby
as Billy Randolph
The Quarterback
as Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
An Angel from Texas
as Mac McClure
The Return of Doctor X
as Walter Wichita Garrett
The Kid from Kokomo
as Homer Baston
Men Are Such Fools
as Jimmy Hall
Brother Rat
as Billy Randolph
Valley of the Giants
as Bill Cardigan
Love, Honor and Behave
as Ted Painter
Out Where the Stars Begin
as Wayne Morris
The Kid Comes Back
as Rush Conway
Kid Galahad
as Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
Under Southern Stars
as Dallas
Submarine D-1
as "Sock" McGillis
Land Beyond the Law
as Dave Seymour
Smart Blonde
as Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
Once a Doctor
as Sailor on Nirvana
Polo Joe
as Spectator (uncredited)
King of Hockey
as Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
China Clipper
as Navigator on Clipper